POTHOLES on the North’s roads and footpaths have forced councils to cough up millions of pounds in compensation.

Drivers and pedestrians have won more than £4.5m in damages from local authorities after falling victim to potholes and uneven surfaces during the past four years.

And councils have also had to fork out nearly £4m in legal and medical fees, a Sunday Sun investigation can reveal, meaning the total bill was over £8m.

The total cost of legal fees and damages paid could even top £10m as some of the region’s local authorities failed to provide complete information.

Motorist groups said these statistics are worrying in light of last month’s cold snap, which will only serve to make the regions road and footpaths worse - leaving cash-strapped councils having to find further funding for the problem.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that 8,651 claims were logged by aggrieved motorists and pedestrians across the North’s 12 local authorities in the past four years. Councils only admitted liability in 1,204 instances, excluding Gateshead, which failed to provide figures.

In Newcastle alone, the bill for trips, falls, crashes and damage to vehicles, including legal fees, came to £1,115,378 and was only topped by Sunderland which shelled out £1,926,147.

But the figures have dropped significantly for all councils between 2005/2006 and 2008/2009, with most reporting an 80% decrease in the amount paid out in compensation to pedestrians and motorists.

The AA also said our investigation reinforced its view that emergency funding is needed for potholes and 2p a litre from fuel tax should be put into a pothole fund. A spokesman for the AA added: “Local authorities are already strapped for cash and potholes are a problem. It varies between councils what they define as a dangerous pothole - some say deeper than 2.5inchs, while others say deeper than 4.5inchs.

“Funds do need to be found for councils to rectify problems on the road surfaces before they cause injury or damage, which in turn, leads to damage pay-outs and court costs.”

Speaking of the proposed 2p tax fuel strategy, AA president Edmund King added: “If nearly 2p a litre from fuel tax was diverted into a pothole fund, for once, UK drivers would be seeing their fuel tax disappearing into a black hole they can understand. Potholes affect all road users from cyclists to bus passengers.

“They are a particular menace at night on dark rural roads as often the driver is unaware of the pothole until the damage is done.”

The annual potholes survey in April last year, from Warranty Direct, claimed the further North you go the worse roads get.

In Tyne & Wear, the research found, 10.23% of cars suffer from suspension damage because of big holes in roads. In Northumberland and Durham the total is higher, with more than 13% of cars damaged by potholes. At the time, Gateshead Council bosses refuted the survey’s claims, saying the borough holds the award for the best highways maintenance in Britain.

Coun John Shipley, Leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “As the employment, tourism and shopping capital of the region the pavements and highways of Newcastle suffer a good deal more wear and tear than other areas, but we have invested significantly in maintaining and improving them in recent years.

“Not only has this investment meant a massive reduction in the amount in successful compensation claims against us - which at £41,000 for the last year is now less than a tenth of what it was as recently as 2005 - but it has also meant that our insurance premiums have more than halved.”